Playmates Toys Inc

Playmates Toys Inc. said Thursday that Richard Sallis had resigned as president after 11 years to "pursue other interests." Sallis also resigned as president of Playmates Interactive Entertainment Inc., a sister company. Playmates Toys Executive Vice President Ron Welch, a 49-year-old Long Beach resident, was named president.

Playmates Toys Inc. said Thursday that Richard Sallis had resigned as president after 11 years to "pursue other interests." Sallis also resigned as president of Playmates Interactive Entertainment Inc., a sister company. Playmates Toys Executive Vice President Ron Welch, a 49-year-old Long Beach resident, was named president.

Costa Mesa-based Playmates Toys Inc. has entered a master licensing agreement with Saban Entertainment to manufacture and market toys based on the "All New Captain Kangaroo" television show that will premiere this fall. The new show will feature preschool toys styled after the original, baby boom era show's major characters: the venerable Captain, Mr. Greenjeans, Mr. Moose, Bunny Rabbit and Grandfather Clock.

Costa Mesa-based Playmates Toys Inc. has entered a master licensing agreement with Saban Entertainment to manufacture and market toys based on the "All New Captain Kangaroo" television show that will premiere this fall. The new show will feature preschool toys styled after the original, baby boom era show's major characters: the venerable Captain, Mr. Greenjeans, Mr. Moose, Bunny Rabbit and Grandfather Clock.

Playmates Toys Inc., which helped popularize the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the 1980s, is moving its corporate headquarters from La Mirada to Costa Mesa, the company said Monday. Playmates Toys and Playmates Interactive Entertainment Inc., a sister company that makes video games, have signed a seven-year lease for 27,000 square feet of space in the Comerica Bank Tower Building on Anton Boulevard. About 50 employees are making the move.

Playmates Toys Inc. anticipates that its $50-million retail shipment of "Space Jam" action figures will sell out by month's end. The action figures are riding on the considerable coattails of the movie's stars, including basketball hero Michael Jordan and Looney Tunes characters like Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd and Sylvester. The Costa Mesa-based company will ship a new generation of "Space Jam" toys to retail shelves in 1997.

ing to pressure from advocates for the homeless, the Walt Disney Co. has decided to stop selling a toy figure of a tramp. The Rev. Christopher Rose, rector of Grace Episcopal Church, inspired the protests early this month when he cited "Steve the Tramp" as one of the most offensive toys of the 1990 Christmas season. "I'm glad somebody there got a conscience," Rose said Tuesday when he learned of Disney's action. "But I feel it is a hollow victory because it is only a week before Christmas."

Legal behavior in the defense industry is apparently no simple matter of obeying the law. "Avoiding Criminal Liability in Government Procurement" is the title of a two-day conference scheduled to open today at the Sheraton Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles and sponsored by an outfit called the Stanford Bar Institute. Some 13 experts are to explain how defense contractors can stay out of criminal court and their employees out of prison.

Playmates Toys Inc., which helped popularize the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the 1980s, is moving its corporate headquarters from La Mirada to Costa Mesa, the company said Monday. Playmates Toys and Playmates Interactive Entertainment Inc., a sister company that makes video games, have signed a seven-year lease for 27,000 square feet of space in the Comerica Bank Tower Building on Anton Boulevard. About 50 employees are making the move.

When the Easter Bunny arrives on Sunday, handing out chocolates and marshmallow eggs, he'll also give many children--and toy makers--a second chance for those presents that Santa never left under the tree. Easter has become another occasion for children, especially young children, to receive toys and other gifts. It's unlikely to reach the magnitude of Christmas, but the holiday still gives retailers and manufacturers a small but welcome lift in sales.

Mattel Inc.'s Rapunzel Barbie doll is expected to be the bestselling toy this holiday season as girls nationwide return to choosing dolls as a plaything of choice. The prediction is based on a survey of retailers to be released today by PlayDate Inc., a New York marketing services firm. Retailers say the doll, which is already on store shelves, is popular for her long hair and starring role in an animated video version of the classic "Rapunzel" fairy tale.